A
small piece of slate was discovered during excavations on Tintagel Island
inscribed with the name "Artognov". Is this the first real proof
of King Arthur's existence? Was
he really born at Tintagel as legend insists?

On 6th August 1998,
English Heritage revealed that during the last week of digging on the
Eastern terraces of Tintagel Island, a broken piece of Cornish slate
(8" by 14") was discovered bearing the name "Artognov".
It was excavated on July 4th,by Kevin Brady, an archaeologist
working with a team from Glasgow University. "As the stone came out,
when I saw the letters A-R-T, I thought uh-oh..."

The stone apparently
bears two inscriptions. The upper strongly incized letters have been
broken off and are sadly indecipherable. The lower inscription, though
fainter, clearly reads "Pater Coliavificit Artognov", which
Professor Charles Thomas of Exeter University has carefully translated as
"Artognou, father of a descendant of Coll, has had this built".
Possibly written by a Gaulish hand, the style of writing is certainly 6th
century, a date confirmed by surrounding fragments of 6th century
Mediterranean pottery already well known from the Tintagel site. Also
found nearby was the remains of the only Spanish glass flagon known from
this period of Britain's history. Chris Morris, who has been leading the
Scottish based excavation team for the past eight years, believes that the
dedicatory "Arthur Stone," as it has already been christened,
was placed in the wall of a 6th century stone building which later
collapsed soon after it was built. The slate was then reused as drain
cover a century later.

Though
"Artognou," pronounced "Arthnou," proves that names
similar to that of the great King existed in the, so called, Arthurian
period, Chris Morris is sceptical about making too much of the obvious
link with King Arthur's traditional birthplace. He believes the stone's
importance lies in the fact that it is "the first evidence we have
that the skills of reading and writing were handed down in a non-religious
context". However, Dr Geoffrey Wainwright, chief archaeologist at
the, normally cautious, English Heritage declared the newly discovered
link should not be dismissed. "Tintagel has presented us with
evidence of a Prince of Cornwall, in the Dark Ages, living in a
high-status domestic settlement at the time Arthur lived. It has given us
the name of a person, Arthnou. Arthnou was here, that is his name on a
piece of stone. It is a massive coincidence at the very least. This is
where myth meets history. It's the find of a lifetime."

Chris Morris hopes
to return next year and excavate the building from which the mysterious
stone came. Will there be more of the inscription? The local Cornishmen
certainly hope so.

EBK
Comments

Despite the usual
caution displayed on the part of the archaeologists, whether Artognou was
the real King Arthur or not, surely there can be little doubt that
he is the man responsible for Tintagel's associations with the Great King.
For a man's name to have remained associated with a place for almost
exactly 1,500 years seems remarkable; but if it happened in Greece and
Rome, why not in Britain?

So what about this "Prince
of Cornwall" then: who was he, if not the great man himself? The
siting of a Royal stronghold at Tintagel would certainly suggest the court
of a King of Dumnonia, and Arthur is indeed said by some to descend
from this family. The inscription, however, would indicate that
Artognou was a descendant of the historical late 4th century Celtic Royal
ancestor, King Coel Hen (the
Old). Coel lived in the North of Britain where his descendants ruled until
mid-7th century. The Royal Line of Dumnonia was only descended from him in
the female line during King Cado's
generation. Traditionally Arthur was the cousin of Cado's father, though
perhaps this Arthur-Artognou was a closer relative. It was not
unknown for Celtic Kingdoms to be shared amongst joint-ruling brothers,
rather than have the land divided. It is recorded in the Life of
St.Carannog that Arthur ruled in Dumnonia, around Dunster, as the junior
colleague of Cado. Could it be that the two were brothers, nominally
ruling Dumnonia together but Arthur having his stronghold in the West at
Tintagel while Cado held sway in the East from Dunster?